


Repairs

by HollowPitcher



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3821731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowPitcher/pseuds/HollowPitcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scavenger talks, Chip listens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Repairs

"I could fix you."

Chip smiled sadly. "It's not that easy."

Despite the face plate, the towering robot at his side was clearly affronted. Chip smothered a smile.

"Of course it won't be easy! Delicate repairs never are, and then there's all those fluids that have to stay at the right level the whole time. I'm not stupid, you know!"

"I know you're not," Chip murmured. He picked at the stitching on his armrest, but his eyes weren't focused on it.

His companion seemed to deflate at that, mounting anger disappearing completely at the easy agreement. "Well, good." Ey shifted in embarrassment, the rocks that were such a hurdle for Chip's chair crumbling unnoticed under eir sturdy feet.

Chip took a deep breath that was more of a sigh. "I know you're not stupid," he repeated, "but it's just not something you can fix. Believe me, I've had the best doctors available trying and-"

"Pah! Human doctors." Ey waved eir hand dismissively. "As if they know what they're talking about. Hook always said-"

Ey stopped and Chip paused in his picking at the armrest. He didn't look up, just waited.

"Hook... used to talk about how backward you organics were." The robot started haltingly, as if ey wasn't sure ey wanted to say the words at all. "I think it really frustrated em, when ey couldn't understand your thought processes."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Ey used to rant about it sometimes. Ey'd get all worked up and Scrapper would have to talk em down."

Chip hmm'd and resumed his picking.

The robot huffed a laugh and continued. "It's kind of funny. When Hook was upset ey'd get all loud about it, but when Scrapper was angry ey got real quiet. I remember once Scrapper was pissed off at Mixmaster - I can't remember why - but if you didn't know em you'd never be able to tell. Ey just seemed more focused. It was a solid three days before Mixmaster built up the nerve to apologize," ey finished with a fond grin.

"How'd Scrapper respond?"

"Ey punched em."

Chip snorted but didn't say anything else. After a long moment his companion continued.

"Bonecrusher, though, you could always tell when ey was bothered about something. Ey couldn't sit still; had to be doing something. Usually breaking something. Ey wasn't violent though, not really. People always seem to think ey was slow and stupid and flying off the handle all the time. Ey really wasn't though." Eir voice had taken on an urgent tone, as if it was necessary eir companion believed em.

Chip nodded, still not looking up from the rocks.

The robot watched him for a moment, but no further response was forthcoming. When ey started again it was slowly, and it seemed more like ey was talking to emself than the human at eir side.

"Mixmaster... Well, I'm not going to lie and say I liked em. And I don't think ey liked me. Or hated me. I think ey just didn't care. I wasn't that important. Ey didn't really take much notice of people unless ey needed them for something. I got em supplies sometimes but ey always relayed eir orders through Scrapper."

The robot paused for a moment, then continued, sounding frustrated. "I don't know why ey didn't like me. I tried pretty hard to make em happy. Once i spent two whole days sifting through one of your human waste sites looking for this thing ey just _had_ to have, and you know what ey said?"

Chip tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"Nothing! Ey just grabbed it off the table and walked out. Didn't even look at me! Scrapper thanked me, but it's not the same." Ey kicked at the ground, scattering rocks large and small in front of the pair. "At least Long Haul straight up told me ey didn't like me! I'd rather have that than being ignored."

Ey snorted derisively. "Not that Long Haul had any right calling me annoying. All ey ever did was complain. About the dirt, about the weather, about having to transport materials. Ey was a dump truck! Transporting materials was eir function! What kind of dump truck hates to do the one thing ey was made for? You don't see me complaining about having to scavenge!"

The robot wasn't even looking at eir companion, shouting eir tirade to the rocks and sky. "And not a single one of them actually respected me! I got them the stuff they needed, time and again, and they didn't even care! I mean, they sure noticed the few times I couldn't find something, but do you think they ever acknowledged all the times I succeeded? Even when it was something really weird, or rare, or dangerous? Those fraggers never cared about me and now I can't even confront them about it! Frag it anyway!"

Ey stopped shouting abruptly, standing tense with fists clenched at eir sides. Silence stretched out, only broken by the sound of the robot's whirring fans, and the scratch of Chip still picking at the armrest.

Suddenly the robot slouched, looking defeated. Ey looked down at eir hands as ey twisted them together, metal joints sliding smoothly and noiselessly, seeming deeply concentrated on their movements.

"I miss them."

"I know." Pick, pick.

The robot played with eir hands for another moment, before looking over at eir companion with a speculative look.

"Y'know, I bet I could fix your chair up so it's easier to handle over rough terrain. Put in some better shocks, probably'll have to change the wheels, might have to go for a complete redesign," ey listed as ey peered down at the chair. "At least make it so it's not so hard for you to get over these rocks."

Chip smoothed his hand down the frayed stitching and looked up at his companion, smiling.

"That you can do."


End file.
